FamilySearch Indexing: What It Is and How It Is Changing

What is FamilySearch?

FamilySearch is the online genealogy portal created by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For decades, hundreds of parish and civil records around the world were microfilmed. Today these records are digitized and published online free of charge.

In the past, to consult them you had to go to a Family History Center and use microfilm readers. Nowadays, most of these documents are available online.

What does “indexing” mean?

Indexing consists of transcribing the key information from digitized historical documents (names, dates, places, etc.) into a structured and searchable database.

• If a collection is not indexed, you must browse image by image to locate an ancestor.
• If a collection is indexed, you can use the search engine to find the record and then view the original image with a single click.

FamilySearch Indexing: a collaborative project

FamilySearch Indexing is an initiative that invites volunteers from around the world to transcribe historical records: censuses, parish registers, civil records, immigration documents, and more.

For those familiar with languages and paleography—such as descendants of Italians who recognize handwriting styles in that language—their participation is especially valuable. With just 15 or 20 minutes a day, it is possible to index a batch of 5 records, helping others to find their ancestors.

The system also includes a thank-you form, allowing anyone who finds a record thanks to our work to send us a message of appreciation.

How is indexing changing?

The classic indexing tool is being retired because it was based on obsolete technology. Today, FamilySearch combines volunteer collaboration with artificial intelligence (AI), which significantly speeds up the process.

Recent results

• In 2024, AI indexed 1.5 billion images with almost 10 billion names.
• Volunteers remain essential, but now focus on reviewing and correcting automatically generated indexes, ensuring their quality.
• Indexing has always evolved: from paper cards and microfilms to diskettes, CDs, and now AI.

How to collaborate today?

From the FamilySearch home page, under the Participate → Opportunities tab, you can choose from different activities:

• Review suggested records.
• Attach names to the Family Tree.
• Continue contributing to ongoing indexing projects.

In the Your Contributions section you can also see the real impact your work has had on others.

What happens with my previous projects?

• Incomplete batches are automatically returned to FamilySearch, but everything already indexed is preserved.
• Personal statistics are not lost and will continue to update with the new available activities.

Conclusion

Indexing at FamilySearch is and will remain a global project, now strengthened with artificial intelligence. Every contribution, large or small, helps preserve and make historical records more accessible.

Indexing means democratizing family history. With just a few minutes a day, anyone can help someone else discover an ancestor and keep the memory of their roots alive.